


5 Times Riku's Prepared to Step Aside

by Palizinha



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: 5+1, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-15 23:30:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10559530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palizinha/pseuds/Palizinha
Summary: ...and the one time he realizes he doesn't have to.





	

1\. 

Riku's six when he first notices the way Sora looks at Kairi. She's been on the Islands for six months, and without Riku even noticing he's gone from spending all his free time with Sora to spending it with both Sora and Kairi, and until that day he hasn't minded it.

But Sora looks back at Kairi when she's fallen behind, and reaches out his hand to her. Kairi catches it giggling and Sora blushes. Riku just stays in the sidelines as he watches the scene.

He wonders if the feelings in his chest come from his attachment to Sora, if he just doesn't want someone else to take his place as Sora's favorite person. But while anyone else would have bothered him (he still hates it when Sora ditches him to go spend time with Tidus and Wakka), Kairi never bothers him.

So maybe it's Kairi's positive reaction to how obviously smitten with her Sora is that's the problem. Maybe he likes her the way his parents like each other. The way Sora likes her.

But that doesn't seem right either, and Riku isn't sure how he knows that. He just knows that he's always loved Sora, and he's come to love Kairi. And if they end up dating when they're older, he'll be there for them, because he doesn't know what to do if they aren't there.

Then both Sora and Kairi, who are still holding hands, offer their free hands to him, and Riku lets it go.

They are too young to need to worry about that.

2\. 

Riku's fourteen when he first notices the way Kairi's come to look at him. The distrust in her eyes whenever he talks of his dream (of their dream, haven't they all agreed they wanted to leave?) nags at his chest.

Sora's oblivious, because Sora is always oblivious and Riku wonders, if Kairi changes her mind on going when school finishes and they can build a raft, if Sora will stay or go.

But Riku doesn't think Sora will be happy if he's there without Kairi, and Riku doesn't know if he will be happy, even with his dream, if Sora's unhappy and Kairi's alone in the Islands.

Maybe it's best if he goes alone to find that guy, because Sora and Kairi don't know of that part of his reasons for needing to leave. He's supposed to find him. Will they feel betrayed Riku kept that secret? Maybe it's best they stay behind and never know.

3\. 

Riku's fifteen when their world falls to darkness (because of him), Sora leaves him for a duck and a dog that he calls his friends, and Kairi's missing her heart.

It hurts as he holds her body close. He calls to her in his weakest moments even though what he's learnt from Maleficent tells him she can't answer. Sora looks at him with the same distrust he had seen in Kairi's eyes, and Riku knows his heart is getting weaker.

Maybe it's not a surprise when Sora proves his heart is stronger and steals Riku's Keyblade again, but it's the last straw, and the last hit Riku's heart is able to take.

Things get muddled, but whenever the man in the brown robe - the one that taught him how to sell his world to darkness in return for freedom and following his dream - says something, Riku hears. He hears his body fight Sora, and he hears Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, threaten Kairi.

And Riku's the reason she lost her heart and Sora had to stab himself. He can't let her get hurt again. He feels his heart get stronger, and he fights back.

Ansem banishes him for his troubles, but it doesn't matter because Kairi got away, and he's finally done something right, for the first time since that mess began.

He meets Sora in the Door to Darkness, and even if he's trapped there, Sora and Kairi will still have each other, and that's more than he could have hoped after everything he's done wrong, to have the two he loved most safe.

He tells Sora to take care of Kairi, and accepts that he will never see them again.

4\. 

Riku's sixteen and has spent a while in darkness and accepting Ansem's name as his own when he attacks Saix to protect Kairi.

Sora's close, and as long as he removes the current threat, he can leave and Sora and Kairi will finally reunite on their own.

Then Naminé says his name - the name he gave up out of shame - and Kairi looks happier to see him, even with that face, than he deserves.

Riku takes her to Sora and prepares to leave again as soon as they hug, but Kairi is the one who says his name this time.

And just like with Kairi, he receives nothing but acceptance and happiness at seeing him from Sora.

5\. 

Riku is newly seventeen when they all reunite in Yen Sid's office before the final battle against the Seekers of Darkness, before the Keyblade War.

Kairi looks at him almost as often as she looks at Sora, but he notices from how Sora and Kairi are looking at each other that something changed.

Donald and Goofy tease the two, as Sora has complained they do, and Kairi and Sora suddenly find hard to look at anyone in the room, making Riku realize Donald and Goofy aren't wrong when they insinuate the two have kissed.

The jealousy he told himself all those years ago he'd ignore comes back, but he's clear that he's on their corner, because he is.

Riku had promised to himself long ago he'd step away and let them be happy together when the time came, and it seems it finally has.

1\. 

Riku's still seventeen when they are back in the Islands, and the war is over. Sora tells the story of his adventure in San Fransokyo for maybe the fifth time, but Riku can't keep the fond smile out of his face as he watches Sora's happiness, and one look at Kairi tells him she feels the same way.

Kairi's in the middle as she often is when they are in the Paopu tree, but while she holds Sora's hand, her other hand rests on Riku's hair.

No words have actually been exchanged between them, but after everything, Riku hadn't been exactly successful at stepping aside, and he doesn't think Sora and Kairi want him to be either.

It's been the three of them for so long, that Riku isn't surprised during the first time where, after kissing Sora goodbye for the day, Kairi does the same to him.

Turns out everything Riku's been telling himself for eleven years now was unnecessary, because it's really not right unless all three of them are there.


End file.
